Sealing machine



N. E. KEWLEY SEALING MACHINE June 1, 1954 Filed March 21, 1952 Inventor:Norman E. Kewle Maw His Attorney Patented June 1, 1954 UNITED STATESSEALING MACHINE ration of New York Application MarchZl, 1952, Serial No.277,859

3 Claims.

My invention relates to sealing machines for fusing together the bulband the mount of electric lamps and discharge devices, and moreparticularly to improvements in the spindles of such sealing machines,which spindles provide for the support of a so-called tipless type mountat sealing relation to the bulb.

Sealing machines of the type herein concerned are characterized by arotatable turret having heads mounted about a peripheral portion thereoffor holding mounts and bulbs, and also include heating means at Workstations about the turret adjacent the patch of movement of said heads.Indexing movements of the turret at regular intervals advance the heads,with the mounts and bulbs, to each of the work stations in turn. Theheads in such sealin machines each comprise a vertical spindle forsupportin the mount of an electrical device within the open neck of abulb, and also include other means adapted to hold said bulb in axialalignment and proper axial displacement with respect to said mount. Themountsupportin spindle and the bulb-holding means are both rotated inthe turret at the time of their arrangement with the heating means tocause the bulb to be heated uniformly.

The axial relation of the mount and the bulb is subject to change duringthe sealing operation by varying the vertical position of the spindlewithin the bulb-holding means, which is mounted dircctly upon theturret, and is determined by the elevation of a track located below saidturret and providin the support for the lower end of said spindle. Meansare provided in the form of passages extending through the length ofthespindle for conducting air to the mount and the seal area of the bulbfrom openings in the track which extends along almost the full circularcourse of movement of said spindle.

It is among the objects of my invention to provide an improvement in thespindle construction which provides improved sealin uniformity,reduction of maintenance time and reduction of time the machine is idle.

The spindles of such sealin machines comprise a vertically disposedouter sleeve or shell and a hollow inner sleeve or core which ride onthe top of a track having separate passages which communicate,respectively, with the interior of the core and with a space between thecore and the outer sleeve, the core bein in communication with theexhaust tube of the lamp mount and the outer sleeve being incommunication with the sealing area in the neck of the bulb. The severalspindles (usually 16 in number) must be in exact relation at both thetop and the bottom. The tops (mount supporting pins) must be the sameheight for good sealing and good molding of the seal. The bottoms mustbe uniform to maintain proper contact between the track and the innerand outer sleeves. As heretofore constructed, the bottom of the outersleeve was provided with an adjustable extension but no provision wasmade for adjustment of the inner sleeve or core. Consequently, as thesealing heads wore to varying lengths, as they do, there was no easymethod of adjustment to keep the mount pins the same height withoutupsetting the relation between the lower ends of the inner and outersleeves and thus impairing the effectiveness of communication of thesleeves with the passages in the track. A further complication arosewhen a bent spindle was replaced by a new one because the newspindle hadto be machined to length to match the spindles already in the machine.The result was that when th spindles became too uneven to functionproperly, they had to be removed from the machine and either be replacedby a new set or rebuilt so as to conform in length.

In accordance with my invention, the abovestated objects are attained byproviding a single adjustable member which functions as an extension ofthe lower ends of both the outer sleeve and the inner sleeve or core.The problem of maintaining the lower ends of the outer and inner sleevesin proper adjustment is thus overcome, since they are made in one pieceand adjust together. Both members then ride flush on the aforesaid trackat all times, and adjustments to keep the mount pins all at the sameheight are made quickly on the machine.

Further features and advantages of my invention will appear from thefollowing description of a species thereof and from the drawing.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of a sealing machine,and Fig. 2 is a vertical section, on an enlarged scale, through one headof said machine with a tipless type mount and a bulb in sealing relationtherein.

The sealing machine has work carryin heads 5 at regularly spacedintervals about a peripheral portion of a turret 2 and, by regularlyoccurring indexing motions of said turret 2, provides for the advance ofeach of said heads I to burners and other sealing apparatus (not/shown)at work stations thereabout. The operations'of the sealing machinecorrespond to those described in Marshall Patent 1,475,192, datedNovember 27, 1923,

and provide for the sealing of the vitreous flange 3 of the incandescentlamp mount 4 into the neck 5 of a bulb 6 in the same manner as in priorapparatus.

The cycle of operation of the sealing machine is initiated by theplacing or the mount l upon the spindle I of one of the heads thereof.This operation, which may be brought about either manually ormechanically, is effected by directing the end of the exhaust tube 8,extending beyond the stem 9 of the mount 4, down through the axial boreof the mount pin ID on the upper end of the spindle I until the flange 3of said stem 9 is seated upon the tapered end of said mount pin I0. Whenthe mount 4 is properly positioned, the end of the exhaust tube 8 islocated within the passageway of the close fitting bushing II' in thetop of the core I I of the spindle I and is at a height determined bythe position of the outer casing or sleeve I2 of said. spindle Iinasmuch as the upper ends of the inner sleeve or core II and said outersleeve I2 are fastened to the mount pin II) by the screw I3.

The bulb 6 of the incandescent lamp is inserted into its proper positionin the sealing head by passing the open neck 5 thereof over the mount 4and the upper end of the spindle I, and by resting the bulbous portionof said bulb I upon the pads I4 of the bulb holder I5 on the upstandingposts I6 at opposite sides of said spindle I. The bulb 6 is, at suchtimes, in alignment with the mount 4 since the posts I5 are retained bythe base ll of the sealing head I, and the mount supporting spindle Iis, in turn, retained by the depending journal It of said base I'I.Since it is desirable for the entire head I (spindle I and bulb holderI5) to be rotated while the bulb 6 is in operative relation to thesealing fires, a pulley I9 is located upon the lower end of the journalI8 of said base H for engagement with a moving belt (not shown) atcertain of the work stations and a key N and keyway are provided in thebase I1 and spindle I respectively to cause them to turn as a unit. Theball bearing 20 is located between the base I1 and the turret 2. Therelation of the mount 4 and the bulb 6 is dependent upon the elevationof the spindle I which is movable vertically in the base ll of thesealing head I and is established by the seating of the nut-like shoe2|, on the lower end of the outer sleeve I2 of said spindle I, on thetop surface of the stationary track 22 below the turret 2.

The sealing operation performed by the machine is brought about in thesame manner as in prior apparatus by burners (not shown) at various workstations about the turret 2. The initial steps of this operation, whichseal the neck 5 f the bulb 6 to the flange 3 of the mount d, occur atwork stations where the shoe 2| of the sealing head I is aligned with apassage 23 through the track 22. This particular arrangement of spindleI and the track 22 vents the bulb 6 since the atmosphere trapped thereinis free to pass through the opening 24 in the tipless type stem 9 to theexhaust tube 8 and thence down the hollow center of the core II of saidspindle I to the passage 23.

As the sealing operation progresses, the burn ers of the machine areassisted by a blast of air directed against the inside surface of thebulb neck to cut off the excess neck portion or cullet below the fiare3. This blast of air is emitted from the upper end of a longitudinalpassageway extending between the full length of the tubular core II andthe outer sleeve I2 of the spindle I and passes upward through slots 26in the flange 21 of the mount pin III to the bulb neck 5. At such times,the shoe 2| on the spindle 1 rests upon a portion of the track 22 havinga second opening 28 therein connected by a pipe 29 to a source ofcompressed air.

The succeeding steps in the sealing operation, which complete saidoperation and which may, for instance, provide for the molding of theseal portion of the bulb 6, are carried on while the spindle I continuesto be supported by the track 22 and, when need be, is vented andreceives air from passages in said track 22 corresponding to passages 23and 28. During this latter period, the elevation of the track 22 mayvary so as to raise or lower the spindle I as in prior apparatus and, asis sometimes necessary at the start of the sealing operation, to insertthe mount 4 into the bulb 6.

In accordance with my invention, the nut-like shoe 2| is so constructedas to be adjustably secured to one of the sleeves II and I2 andconstitute an adjustable tubular telescoping extension of both the outersleeve I2 and the inner sleeve or core II. To that end, the shoe 2| isinternally threaded for adjustment on the threaded lower end I2 of theouter spindle I2. The shoe 2| is also provided with an integral web 26carrying a tubular ring or hub portion 25 which fits snugly on, but isslidable along, the lower end of the inner sleeve or core II and servesas an adjustable extension of the said inner sleeve. The air from pipe29 and passage 28 thus passes through the annular space 25' between thering 25 and the wall of the shoe 2|, and through an opening in the web26, to the space between the inner and outer shells I I and I2. The ring25 also serves to support and center the inner sleeve II which isfurther centered at its fluted upper end by the longitudinally extendingridges 30. The integral construction of the ring portion 25 with theshoe 2| assures accurate control over the air blast since no leakage canoccur at the lower end of the spindle because the ends of both the shoe2| proper and the ring 25 maintain close contact with the track 22.

It is essential to the sealing operation that the mount 4 be at theproper elevation to be in proper relation to the other portions of thesealing apparatus and this is provided in the construction of the shoe2| for extending or shortening the efiective length of the spindle I.The spindle I is adjusted merely by threading the shoe 2| along thethreaded lower end I2 of the outer sleeve I2 of said spindle I, and thelock nut 3| secures the shoe 2| at its adjusted position on the sleeveI2. The sliding, but quite snug, fit between the lower end of thetubular core I I of the spindle I and the inner ring 25 of the shoe 2|permits said shoe 2| to be adjusted without disturbing the position ofor the air connection between said shoe 2| and said core I I. Theconstruction of the shoe 2| and the associated ends of the inner core IIand the outer casing I2 of the spindle 'I also enable adjustments to beeasily made in the length of said spindle I to cause the mount 4 to beheld at a standard height by all heads I of the sealing machine and tocompensate for warpage of the parts of the machine under the high heatof sealing and for wear, which is often non-uniform, in the heads I.

Although a preferred embodiment of my invention has been disclosed, itwill be understood that the invention is not to be limited to thespecific construction of parts shown, but may be modified within thespirit and scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates is:

1. In a spindle for a sealing machine of the class described andcomprising concentric inner and outer sleeves with respective passageslongitudinally through the inner sleeve and along a space between saidsleeves, a shoe member adjustably secured to the lower end of one ofsaid sleeves and having a web portion integrally connecting concentrictubular portions thereof which constitute telescoping extensions of eachof said sleeves and which are adjustable along said sleeves byadjustment of said shoe member on said one sleeve, said web portionhaving an opening therethrough communicating with the passage betweensaid inner and outer sleeves.

2. In a spindle for a sealing machine of the class described andcomprising concentric inner and outer sleeves with respective passageslongitudinally through the inner sleeve and along a space between saidsleeves, a shoe member adjustably secured to the lower end of the outersleeve and having a web portion integrally connecting concentric tubularportions thereof which constitute telescoping extensions of each of saidsleeves and which are adjustable along said sleeves 30 by adjustment ofsaid shoe member on said outer sleeve, said web portion having anopening therethrough communicating with the passage between said innerand outer sleeves.

3. In a spindle for a sealing machine of the class described andcomprising concentric inner and outer'sleeves with respective passageslongitudinally through the inner sleeve and along a space between saidsleeves, the inner sleeve projecting beyond the outer sleeve at thelower ends thereof. the lower end of said outer sleeve being screwthreaded, and a tubular shoe member provided with screw threads foradjustable engagement with the screw threaded end of said outer sleeveto serve as an extension thereof, said shoe member being provided with aconcentric tubular ring portion snugly telescoped on the end of saidinner sleeve to serve as an extension thereof and integrally connectedwith said shoe member by a web portion provided with an openingcommunicating with the passage between said inner and outer sleeves.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,475,192 Marshall Nov. 27, 1923 1,942,042 Zimbler et al. Jan.2, 1934 2,185,704 Donovan et a1. Jan. 2, 1940

